Montco Aide Draws Fire For Backing Nuke Reactor

November 22, 1985|by DAN FRICKER, The Morning Call

Montgomery County commissioners Chairman Paul B. Bartle drew the ire of Limerick nuclear power plant opponents yesterday when he released a letter saying he favors completion of Unit 2 if a construction cost cap is imposed.

A half-dozen opponents charged that the letter contradicts Bartle's statement last week that he would write a letter to the state Public Utility Commission saying he opposes completion of Unit 2 until "there is a clear understanding of the costs inherent in the operation" of Unit 1.

The confrontation was heated at times. Phyllis Zitzer of Limerick Ecology Action presented Bartle with a copy of Administrative Law Judge Allison K. Turner's opinion that the unit should not be finishedand asked him to join Lt. Gov. William W. Scranton III in opposing the unit.

"I hope you will reconsider your decision for Limerick 2 and write to the Public Utility Commission," Zitzer said.

Other plant opponents warned Bartle that his position could end his political career. "You're being confronted by a new wave of continually alert citizenry," said Richard McNutt. "I hope you recognize the difference."

Minority Commissioner Rita C. Banning released a letter urging the PUC to follow Turner's recommendation and cancel Unit 2. "I do not believe that a cost containment program for Limerick 2 is practically effective, legally defensive, or even wise from the standpoint of safety," Banning wrote.

The PUC is scheduled to vote Dec. 5 on a resolution allowing Philadelphia Electric Co. to finish Unit 2, which is 30 percent completed, if the utility agrees to a $3.2-billion construction cost cap.

Unit 1 was licensed last summer by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is undergoing testing. Commercial operation of the $2.5-billion reactor is expected to begin in mid-February.

In other business, the commissioners approved the purchase of a 1.7-acre property in Perkiomen Township once occupied by the New Red Fox Inn for $7,500.

The county will buy the land, at the southeast corner of Route 73 and Haldemann Road, from the Small Business Administration, the owner since the inn was destroyed by fire several years ago.

Howard Gross, county director of history and cultural arts, said the property's macadam parking lot will be removed and the land cleared of debris, with the exception of the inn's stone foundation, which will be allowed to stand.

Gross said the property will serve as a buffer for Pennypacker Mills, the county's restored home of Gov. Samuel Pennypacker, across Route 73. "It's a protective measure to keep any commercialization out of the area of Pennypacker Mills," Gross said.